The Case of the Gilded Fly Read Online Free PDF

was a sudden cold venom in her voice.
    â€˜Pleasant reminiscences?’ inquired Nicholas from the middle distance, who had caught the last few phrases of the conversation.
    â€˜Shut up, Nick,’ she said. ‘As far as success is concerned, you’re no shining light.’
    Nigel saw Nicholas’ expression harden. ‘Dear Yseut,’ he saidsilkily, ‘how fortunate it is that I have no reason in the world to be polite to bitches like you.’
    â€˜You little – !’ She was tense with fury now. ‘Robert, are you going to let him talk to me like that?’
    â€˜Shut up, Yseut,’ said Robert. ‘And you shut up too, Nick. I’ve no wish to be surrounded by squabbling children all evening. Have a cigarette,’ he added, waving his case about.
    It was an unpleasant little incident, one of several such, destined to culminate in murder. But what had astonished Nigel had been the sight of Donald Fellowes during those few seconds. Literally, the man had been shaking with rage; his hand had trembled as he took a cigarette from Robert’s case and lit it, throwing away the match without attempting to offer it to anyone else; the blood had drained from his face and the sweat had started out on his brow. Nigel was so alarmed that he half rose from his chair, afraid that Donald was going to smash at Nicholas with the first thing that came to hand. He had controlled himself – fortunately. But Nigel realized then how strong his passion for Yseut was, and marvelled.
    It was Rachel who restored the situation. ‘Are you going to be here long?’ she said quietly to Nigel.
    Nigel played up nobly. ‘About a week, I think,’ he said as casually as he could. ‘A week of blessed rest from journalism. I’m reviving memories –’ his eye travelled uneasily round the gathering as he spoke, and he was relieved to see that they were all sulking – ‘though of course there are very few people I know up now. It’s funny how little the place has changed, despite the war.’ There was a desperate pause. ‘I wonder,’ he said to Robert, ‘if I might watch some of the rehearsals of your play? If the company doesn’t object, that is. I know so little about the theatre, and I’m sure it would be good for me.’
    â€˜By all means,’ said Robert a little absently. ‘We run through the whole thing tomorrow (reading, of course), then Act 1 will be set on Wednesday, Acts 2 and 3 on Thursday, run-through on Friday and Saturday and dress-rehearsal on Sunday evening. Monday we piece together the fragments of the dress-rehearsal, and there we are. I dare say one or two of the older members of the company will object to having people hanging about, but they’ll just have to lump it.’
    â€˜Oh, if it’s going to be a nuisance –’ said Nigel hastily.
    â€˜Good heavens, no. Make yourself fairly inconspicuous, that’s all. Donald what’s-his-name is coming whenever he can get away from his choirboys, and so is a don I met yesterday – called Gervase Fen, of all the impossible names –’
    Nigel was genuinely surprised. ‘Oh, you’ve met Fen, have you?’ he inquired rather unnecessarily.
    â€˜Yes. Is he a friend of yours?’
    â€˜He used to be my tutor. How did you come across him?’
    â€˜Quite by accident, in Blackwell’s. He was reading a book off one of the shelves, and going to the rather extreme length of cutting the pages with a penknife.’ Robert chuckled. ‘When one of the assistants ticked him off, he said solemnly, “Young man, this bookshop was dunning me for enormous bills long before you were born. Go away at once, or I’ll cut out all the pages and scatter them on the floor.” The assistant went, in some dismay, and he turned to me and said, “Do you know, I was afraid I was going to have to.” We chattered for a bit, and